The present invention relates generally to retainers for cylindrical bodies and more particularly, to a retainer for a greaseless or cam pillow-block bearing.
A typical greaseless or cam bearing is an annular member formed of a high durability material having a low coefficient of friction. Polytetrafluoroethylene, nylon and oil-filled powder metal are commonly used in the pillow-block bearings which are commercially available. Conventionally, these bearings are mounted or encased in a housing generally made from sheet metal. The housing is formed by joining two metal pieces each designed to fit over and support one end of the bearing. Such housings, however, are undesirable because to assemble the bearing assembly, the bearing must be positioned in one-half of the housing and the other half must be positioned over the bearing and then joined to the first half of the housing. As a result, at least three steps are involved in the assembly: positioning the bearing, positioning the two housing halves, and joining the two housing halves together. In addition, such retainers are relatively expensive to make. They require use of a large amount of metal, casting both halves in separate molds, etc. They may also require the use of fasteners such as rivets, cap screws, nuts, etc. to maintain the assembly which involves the additional expense required to install the fasteners. Accordingly, there is a need for a low-cost bearing assembly which can be assembled in fewer steps, with less handling, requires less structure to support the bearing.